I would have not been nice at all to that woman. I would have said "Excuse me??" the first time, and after that say, "What you're saying is libelous and untrue. Stop telling me I'm a liar and that my husband abuses me."

Then again, I have no patience for people who think they know better than I what's going on in my head or my life.

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"It takes a great deal of courage to stand up to your enemies, but even more to stand up to your friends" - Harry Potter

I don't have any advice, but I'm glad you're feeling better. Your original story entertained me no end this morning - is it wrong that I found your description of your pain very funny in places?

Ha! No, not at all! In fact, I think I love you a little bit for saying that...I have a dark, dark sense of humor...and I find things funny that probably shouldn't be....but yet they are. Heck, even me and DH had a hearty laugh, savoring the absurdity of the whole thing.

Good thing I wasn't in my right mind, because then someone would have wound up abused (verbally) in that waiting room for throwing around those insults.*

*Just kidding! I would never intentionally deploy retaliatory rudeness. Never.

From your description, I don't understand where she got the idea you were being abused from anyway. It doesn't even remotely sound like an abuse situation. If anything, I would have thought that you were either in a)great pain or b) in withdrawals. The woman was way out of line.

Back in 1998 (my, how time flies), DD had a sinus infection - the doctor she saw in the morning "diagnosed" a migraine because the pain was so horribly bad. The headache got worse & we went back to the ER while a neighbor watched her four-year-old brother.

The guy taking her upstairs at midnight for X-rays started the elevator with a jerk because she was apparently "didn't look that sick" - she threw up on his spit shined boots (Army hospital). The doctor gave her double the usual number of antibiotics and strong pain pills because of how badly "stuffed" her sinuses were in the X-rays.

I've had a few sinus infections in my day and so has she - they are HORRIBLE...but you don't really look like you've been beaten up, you just FEEL that way. The ever-so-helpful old biddy in the ER wanted to feel like she'd made a difference in your life and the life of your DH - but she was about as helpful as a rock in your shoe.

I don't have any advice, but I'm glad you're feeling better. Your original story entertained me no end this morning - is it wrong that I found your description of your pain very funny in places?

Ha! No, not at all! In fact, I think I love you a little bit for saying that...I have a dark, dark sense of humor...and I find things funny that probably shouldn't be....but yet they are. Heck, even me and DH had a hearty laugh, savoring the absurdity of the whole thing.

Good thing I wasn't in my right mind, because then someone would have wound up abused (verbally) in that waiting room for throwing around those insults.*

*Just kidding! I would never intentionally deploy retaliatory rudeness. Never.

I have a pretty dark sense of humor myself, so I'm quite relieved to find that I wasn't the only one who found part of the narrative amusing, and very relived that you're okay with us laughing at parts of it.

I'm also a fair skinned red-head, so I've been through the "abuse" rounds many, many times. It does get tiresome.

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Some people lift weights. I lift measures. It's a far more esoteric workout. - (Quoted from a personal friend)

I know, right?! I removed my coat and showed her that I had no bruising or cuts. I wasn't about to remove any other articles of clothing to prove I had no bruises elsewhere. It's weird she wouldn't take my word for it, and I, too don't understand why she drew that conclusion. I, too, thought it was pretty obvious I was in great pain. I don't know about the withdrawals, as I've never had any, and I've only seen the TV version.

I guess it just goes to show that people see what they want to see. Plus, I suppose a county hospital ER is a rogue's gallery of the human condition. The lady might have had her own baggage/issues and perhaps was projecting.

In either case, it wasn't particularly helpful in terms of sinus pain management. I'm just very glad that she did that to me and my DH, instead of someone who might actually have been at risk for domestic violence. That part is NOT something I think is a laughing matter.

As far as the rest of it though, I had a good belly laugh. It's the best medicine.

Short of Vicodin and Amoxicillin, that is.

mmswm, CakeEater and anyone else: if you want to laugh with me, please go for it. It helps take the sting out

The local women's shelter has little cards that they give out at various events. It has information and phone numbers for abused women to use if they want help. They suggest you quietly slip one to a person you think is being abused. That way if she does need help she knows how to get it

The local women's shelter has little cards that they give out at various events. It has information and phone numbers for abused women to use if they want help. They suggest you quietly slip one to a person you think is being abused. That way if she does need help she knows how to get it

I fell off a horse, landed wrong, and got nasty bruises all down one side. A week later, I was up late, on the 'net (probably reading E-Hell). At about 3 am, I sneezed. That pain is what I use as my "10" on the scale.

So I woke up DH to take me to the ER. He is quite muscular. He gets mad if I'm hurt - because I'm in pain. When he's mad, he tenses up, his eyes snap, and he looks like he might explode at any minute. (A completely false impression.) Add being woken up on the middle of the night to that, and...

We go into intake. He sits in the corner while I talk to the very nice male nurse, who took my information and asked me about my bruises. He glanced at DH a couple of times, then leaned closer to me and quietly asked if I needed a safe place to spend the night. Unfortunately for me, I cracked up! Laughing when you have two broken ribs is... painful. But I've never forgotten how careful he was to ask me that in a way that wouldn't have alerted DH, if he had been an abuser. (He's still "Mr. Right" after 18 years. )

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If you have an opinion about my life, raise your hand!Now, put it over your mouth.

He glanced at DH a couple of times, then leaned closer to me and quietly asked if I needed a safe place to spend the night.

"*sniffle* yes please... somewhere with no horses..."

"No no, we have a very stable relationship. I'm fine hitting the hay at home, but I know I can bale if I need to. Besides, even though he looks ready to explode like a Pinto, I wish you wouldn't saddle him with such a pejorative!"